Risk of a senior cat going in for dental work?

[Dwatted Wabbit]

Originally Posted by zitsky

I'm hoping to hear from other pet owners with senior cats who have taken them in to the vet for dental work. Mine is 19 and had her last cleaning 2 1/2 years ago. The current vet says she needs some teeth extracted but can't say how many. The vet even suggested there is a small risk of her dying because of the anesthesia!! That wasn't very comforting!

My cat isn't obviously suffering. She seems to show problems related to thyroid disease for which she is taking medication. She does seem to favor wet food, but she still occasionally eats dry food, I think.

I worry that she is too old to go under anesthesia at her age. Am I worrying too much?

That's a pretty advanced age for anesthesia.

Elsewhere in the CATS category I tell the tale of our Molly, who developed an ugly red eye. That turned out to be cancer, NONE of the four vets I visited suggested cancer. One wanted to do a biopsy.

They put her under and did the biopsy, it WAS cancer (ask Dr. Pol, he calls it "cancer eye") but when they put her under for removal she started labored breathing and other reactions and they pulled her out of the anesthesia. (Later we had to send Molly over the Rainbow Bridge, the eye was likely painful. Talk about Doctor Obvious missing the boat. Times four.)

The answer obviously, which ANY vet with half a brain should know, was remove the eye and biopsy it. The eye was not functioning. There are skilled vets and then there are lots of other vets.

I'd be VERY leery of anesthesia for a 19 year old cat. The vet can do some scraping etc. with kitty awake. A case of the cure potentially being more dangerous than the disease.

[Bungalove]

I had one of my cats in for a dental at age 13. The vet did complete bloodwork on her beforehand and assured me that everything was good. Tthe next day she called to tell me that Muffin had died during the procedure under the anesthesia. However, I've also had an 18 year old cat under anesthesia (without preliminary bloodwork) for a different procedure, and she did just fine. Frankly, it seems to be a crap shoot.

[Dwatted Wabbit]

Originally Posted by Bungalove

I had one of my cats in for a dental at age 13. The vet did complete bloodwork on her beforehand and assured me that everything was good. Tthe next day she called to tell me that Muffin had died during the procedure under the anesthesia. However, I've also had an 18 year old cat under anesthesia (without preliminary bloodwork) for a different procedure, and she did just fine. Frankly, it seems to be a crap shoot.

I'm sorry you lost your kitty. It's never easy.

Anesthesia is always dangerous. Internet says a 13 year old cat is 68 in equivalent hoomin years. The older you get, the greater the hazard.

I don't know how bloodwork can predict anesthesia reaction. A 19-year-old cat = 92 in hoomin years per internet wisdom. That's very old, no matter how healthy. We get older, we get more frail. Then we die. I just wouldn't want to speed the process along. Quite the coin-toss.